Ronnebaum Crowned 2023 Delaware County Dairy Princess

Around five hundred people from the Delaware County dairy community gathered for their annual banquet on Saturday night, with an Earlville teen receiving the evening’s top honor.

Maquoketa Valley junior Haley Ronnebaum was crowned the 2023 Delaware County Dairy Princess.

Ronnebaum shows dairy cattle and helps with the milking operations on her family’s dairy farm.

Ronnebaum will spend the next year working with the Delaware County Dairy Promoters to promote the dairy industry. Joining her will be the new little royalty, who were also crowned on Saturday night – Little Miss Squirt Brianna Overmann, Alternate Little Miss Squirt Aspen Honkomp, Little Mr. Herdsman Gage Tekippe and Alternate Little Mr. Herdsman Neal Zumbach.

Several awards were also given at the dairy banquet. The Distinguished Dairy Family Award was presented to Terry and Janell Deutmeyer, the Young Dairy Family Award went to Glen and Mikha Mormann, the Dairy Service Award was given to Sherry Bockenstedt and Jim Salow, and the Exemplary Employee Award went to Ryan Gaul. And the Golden Butterknife Award, usually given to a local restaurant for their use of dairy products, was presented this year to the Delaware County 4-H Food Stand. The 4-H Food Stand has been a fixture of the Delaware County Fair for the past 44 years. A summer staple, the 4-H Food Stand serves an average of 298 gallons of vanilla ice cream mix, 53 gallons of chocolate ice cream mix, 660 pints of chocolate milk, 450 pints of whole milk, 240 pounds of sour cream, 315 pounds of shredded cheese, and 1,900 cheese slices. Committee member Donna Kunde:

And Delaware County herd and cow recognition awards were also presented at Saturday night’s dairy banquet. Tom and Cherrie Engelken near Earlville took first place in the Top Five Herds Awards, with their daughters Nicole and Amanda Engelken telling KMCH it’s an honor.

Mormann Dairy took second in the Top Five Herds Awards, followed by Ronnebaum Dairy in third, Tom and Sara Kruse and family in fourth and Kruse Dairy Farm LLC in fifth. 

Tom and Cherrie Engelken also won the Most Improved Award, with Mormann Dairy receiving the Low Somatic Cell Count Award. 

And awards for High 305 ECM Records went to Tom and Sara Kruse and family for Ayrshire and Brown Swiss, Ronnebaum Dairy for Holstein, Carroll Hilltop Dairy for Guernsey, Kunde Jersey Farms for Jersey and Delturn for Milking Shorthorn. 

Distinguished Dairy Family Award 

Young Dairy Family Award 

Distinguished Dairy Service Award 

Exemplary Dairy Employee Award

Golden Butterknife Award

Top Five Herd Awards

Cow Recognition Awards

Scholarship Winners

Delaware County Dairy Council

photos courtesy of Kristi Goedken/Delaware County Dairy Council